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Friday, May 23, 2008

In June, my sisters and I are going to be in a Broadway Musical review. We are all four singing two songs apiece. My solo song is "Waitin' for My Dearie", from Brigadoon. I was singing my song today, whilst enmeshed in harvesting sweet peas, and thinking of the glorious news a dear friend had just told me, and it came to me to share this song with you, in honor of the beginning of her adventure.

What is the news? What's the adventure? Maybe before you reach the end you will have figured it out.:)

"Waitin' for My Dearie"

Many a lassie, as everyone knows'llTry to be married before twenty-five.So she'll agree to most any proposal.All he must be is a man and alive.

I hold a dream and there's no compromisin'.I know there's one certain laddie for me.

One day he'll come, walking ore' the horizon

But, should he not, then an old maid I'll be

Foolish, ye may sayFoolish I will stay

Waitin' for my dearieAnd happy am I

To hold my heart till he comes strollin' by

When he comes, my dearieOne look, and I'll know

That he's the dearie I've been wantin' so

Though I live forty lives till the day he arrivesI'll not ever, ever grieve

For my hopes will be highThat' he'll come, strollin' by

For ye see, I believe...

that...There's a laddie wearyAnd wanderin' free

Who's waitin' for his dearie...Me.

She told me the story only a few days ago. She is courting, beginning the adventure that could last a lifetime.

We love you, dear Keslie!!

Emma and Johanna

Note: Photo credit on this post is so varied I shall not attempt to explain it all. If you wish more details on any photo, leave a comment and I will do my best to answer your query.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

I didn't manage, on day six, to get into anything noteworthily feminine. I spent most of the day, in fact, nearly all the day, cutting, washing, and bagging spinach. It is a rather laborious process, and one I, honestly, grow weary of too soon. The washing is very important and one must observe each leaf at a time, examining for dirt and bugs and grass. But there is something about the washing of spinach that I continued to remind myself all the day. It was when I was washing spinach, six or seven years ago, that the inspiration for my novel first came to me.

I was looking down at the floating, dark, greens in the cool, clear water and the thought came to me that, "wouldn't it be lovely to swim through cool water filled with dark, luscious greenery?" I told myself that was only possible if I were much smaller and could breathe underwater. Thus was created my version of fairies, one in particular, a water fairy.:)

So, yes, God taught me yesterday to be grateful.... Without the annoyance of washing spinach, I would never have had Elena, or Aldwin, or Jaaline, or Faree. Yes..... Thank you, Father.

Oh, goodness!! I almost did it! I truly thought one of my characters closest to my heart was going to die, but it seemed there was a way out, and Faree is safe, for now, from death. Whew! I did not want to lose her, truly, and I am very grateful that she still lives, and her sister can go in search of her, and Gawis can await her return to tell her his heart.

Yes... I know.... I should explain. What on earth am I talking about? I am writing a novel, currently, called, Wandrian, A Fairy's Journey. I was working on it today, and thus the above relation. I posted some more info and an excerpt here A Banner of Crimson: My story, Part One

Quoting from that page, here is a description of my book

It is a gentle, emotional, and fantastical allegory of our walk through life, of our relationship with God and with others, and how the journey of our lives plays out before us. You wouldn't guess it from reading it, it being so much another world, created with all the words I can muster. It is perhaps too fairytale of a world, but I find that it simplifies and magnifies the particular truths that I wish to share, whilst still keeping them carefully veiled, waiting for a curious reader to peek in and see.

And..... because I love to share... Here is another excerpt.

* * * * * * * Aldwin carried himself beyond the stillness of that glade, straining to carry his thoughts past the inexpressible pain that had been carven across his mother’s features. He did not want to leave her, nor his father, who loved him more deeply than ever a father loved a son. He did not want to leave his beloved island home, or the swelling, emerald sea that surrounded it. But he must. He must because of the man who had been his great grandfather, the man whose own father had been Aaman, Aldwin the Great’s lost son, the son who nearly no living fairies still remembered. But Aldwin’s family could not forget. They were descended from Aaman, and thus were descended from the great king himself, making them heirs to the fairy throne. Few now knew of their existence. They had no proof to their claim on the rule of all sylph, so they kept to their small island and said nothing.Yet Aldwin, knowing what he was, could not stay there. His father, only that morning as the sun had drifted higher over Esallan, had laid the great sword of Aldwin I in his son’s hands, bestowing on him the sacred rights of kingship that Galen himself had held for so long. Aldwin was now, in a quiet, hidden way, the king of all Sylph. The realization had smote him with sudden and glorious yearning, with longing to serve his people in the best way that he could, giving his life for the strengthening of his race, as was the duty that had been granted him. He had felt his purpose for the last two summers, felt, the first year, a desperate hunger to tell the world of his family’s right, an emotion that calmed, the second year, into only a deep and interminable longing to aid and respite his travailing people. He would leave Esallan and journey across the places of the world, seeking wisdom and a way to do what a King must do.He stood now on the rocky outcroppings that marked the shore of the island. His hand lay over the sword that hung, belted about his hips. The wind was frolicking with the water and its whisperings swept a lock of dark hair away from his wide, thoughtful, forehead. He must go now.“Aldwin.” The voice was sober and girlish. He turned his head. Elin and Jone stood behind him, their hands clasped together, their eyes on his. He came forward. His arm went around their shoulders.“Good bye, girls.” Jone’s slight voice shook audibly as she wrapped her arms around her brother, the red brown of her hair pressed against his chest. “God be with you, Aldwin.” Elin came next, the blue of her eyes shimmering with her tears in her fair face. “Yes, brother, may God be with you.”He left them with his love and lifted his wings. The rising wind swept beneath them and raised him swiftly above his sisters. In a moment he was alone in the depth of the darkening blue sky. But in that moment, all of his childhood, all the lessons learned, the love given him, the beauty surrounding him, came rushing back in one, great, torrent of memory. He lifted his arms to cover his head with his hood as rain descended rapidly from the sky.And so, Aldwin Esall, son of Lord Galen Esall, and great-great-grandson of Aldwin the great, once greatest king of all sylph, left his homeland and flew across the sea.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Today was moist with pouring rain that left us dripping in warm humidity. I mistakenly donned a sweater, thinking the rain meant cool. The bike ride to Grandma's house was pleasantly cooling, though.

ZOOM!

I wore an aqua-ish cowl-neck sweater from J.C. Penney with a cream, tiered, and heavily gathered skirt I bought in Mexico. Sir Walter Scott's Lady of the Lake came in handy for a rest from my ride down the hill.

For definition, I added a brown belt from Eddie Bauer and Grandma's hand-me-down pearls to match the skirt.

And lovely brown earrings from Dillards

Johanna looked wonderfully old fashioned and chic in her embroidered khaki skirt from Christopher and Banks and her blue collared blouse from Van Heusen. Her scarf is also a hand-me down from Grandma, as are the round, clip-on, navy blue, earrings she's wearing.

What better way to touch it off than a blue umbrella on a rainy day?

Grace was a darling country girl in her old fashioned, ruffly apron and two pigtails. Notice the basket? She was picking dewberries that are endeavoring to take over our lovely orange, red, and yellow lantanas.

Then of course, there was Sarah Anne, bright and playful in the dress we made her for our film, "The Photographer, How the Rain Falls."

We found the dress idea in a book that compiled various Sears catalog pages from the 1920's and 1930's. The creation came from many different patterns and some maneuvering besides. I love the buttons! We actually hung the dress on the clothesline for days on end so it would fade to a healthy oldness for her poor character.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

I was reading on a friend's blog today and was inspired to do the same thing she did. I'm going to pick ten of my favorite movies and post a quote from each of them, giving all of you the opportunity to guess their origin. Sound fun? Here goes....

#1. "I don't know what dark plan lies within you. Nor do I know by what design we were asked to live without each other these 16 years. But God has offered us a new beginning... ""God?" "Don't slap His hand away." "Can I never escape Him?" "No, He is in everything. "

#2. "Jeff, you know if someone came in here, they wouldn't believe what they'd see? You and me with long faces plunged into despair because we find out a man didn't kill his wife. We're two of the most frightening ghouls I've ever known. "----Rear Window --guessed by Clare

#3. "As long as you are alive you can do some good. Do whatever you can to stay alive, no matter what."

#4. "I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something."---- The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers-- guessed by Clare

#5. "So this is your opinion of me. Thank you for explaining so fully. Perhaps these offences might have been overlooked had not your pride been hurt by my honesty...---- Pride and Prejudice 2005-- guessed by Abby

#6. "Smithy, don't ask me, please. I might take you up on it. I'm just that shameless. I've run after you from the very beginning; you know I have. I've never let you out of my sight since I first saw you in that little shop. "

#7. "Did I say an engagement was an elephant ma'am? "---- Wives and Daughters-- guessed by Emily

# 9. "Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine! Then the fates will know you as we know you: as Albert Mondego, the man!" ----The Count of Monte Cristo--guessed by Abby

#10. "Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories... And we've already missed the spring! "----An Affair to Remember--guessed by Emily

#11. "Well, I can't imagine, ma'am - if I may say so - any pleasanter journey, ma'am, than walking through life with you beside me, ma'am." and then later..... one of my favorites.... "Walking through life with you, ma'am, has been a very gracious thing."

There are 11 because two of the quotes are from the same movie. To guess, post a comment. If you get it right I'll post your name and mark out the quote.

We made the satin tunic for my part as Lydia Aston in our film, "The Photographer, How the Rain Falls". There is a copper satin skirt and long jacket that goes with it, unfortunately too fancy for today, but ever so fun to wear!! My mother and grandmother actually made the tunic and skirt twice because of complications, and then my brother decided the level of formality of the costume was to much for my character. So, I never wore it after all. I'm only waiting now for a chance!:)

Monday, May 5, 2008

This morning was spent in the garden, so I shall not bore with details of aprons and old clothes.:) We attended rehearsal for the "Broadway Review" our local arts center is putting on and were thus able to dress up a little over the every day for an evening in town. Yeah!!

I wore my blue-print dress from Christopher and Banks with my little, white, heels, a multi-colored necklace I made, and vintage white earrings. Just in case of cool breezes I took my burgundy jacket from J.C.Penney's Mix-it.

Yesterday, Sunday, was the first day of the week in feminine dress hosted on the Sense and Sensibility forum. My brothers and sister and I all went to Tyler, TX, to see "Expelled, No Intelligence Allowed", a documentary about intelligent design versus Darwinism. It was wonderfully done and very thought provoking. Do go and see it!!:)
Then we went to church in downtown Tyler. Afterwards we hung out outside Starbucks with our music. Here am I...

I'm wearing a cream, crocheted cardigan that belonged to my great, great aunt, over a black tank and paneled khaki skirt. I pinned the sweater with a darling little brooch that my grandmother gave me.
My hoop earrings match my brooch rather perfectly.:)